The invention relates generally to estimate ballistic missile range and determine flight time. In particular, the invention provides a closed-form solution to improve modeling efficiency and intercept missile control through direct range calculation using real-time flight parameters.
Each phase of a ballistic missile flight has distinct characteristics, prompting a logical distinction and treatment between each. Boost phase is defined by thrust and aerodynamic interactions from launch until fuel depletion. Orbital flight consists of the nearly drag-free flight from burn-out to re-entry into the operative atmosphere. Re-entry entails the return to the atmosphere by the re-entering body until impact with the ground (or mid-air burst). These phases create conditions that, when compared, define the entire flight. Mathematically, there are an infinite number of flight paths that will reach any given impact point from any given launch point.
Conventional iterative ballistic missile range calculations yield disadvantages that are addressed by various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. These conventional techniques provide an iterative solution that requires computing time for each run and estimation factors to achieve a solution near the desired range based on flight path parameters. Such methodologies using time and parameter estimation are based on multiple iterative solutions or estimates based on parameters after boost phase has completed.